Mining operations utilize vehicles that use relatively costly tires. Some mining vehicle tires cost in excess of $100,000 per tire. Unfortunately, relatively small debris in the road can ruin such a tire. Because the nature of mining involves the movement of raw material of various sizes and shapes, it is not uncommon for some of the raw material to fall from a mining vehicle onto a road. At a later point in time, another mining vehicle may inadvertently run over the debris, and cause damage to a tire. Debris in the road is even more problematic in the context of mining operations where no human is involved in driving the mining vehicle.
Attempts to mitigate this problem include the use of a forward looking light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system that scans the road in front of the mining vehicle. In order to give the mining vehicle sufficient time to alter its course, the LIDAR system is directed relatively far ahead of the vehicle, requiring a relatively high-resolution LIDAR system. High-resolution LIDAR systems are relatively expensive, and current attempts at systems utilizing such LIDAR have difficulty distinguishing problematic debris from non-problematic debris due to the distance in front of the vehicle that must be analyzed in order to give the vehicle sufficient time to alter its course to avoid the debris.